Fi's Awakening
by logicalpencils
Summary: It has been millennia. And for all of this time, Fi has waited. And, from a rest intended to be eternal, she will be awakened, by a small child led by a blue fairy. This is the story of Fi's movement through the ages, constantly in search of the Hero reborn, and Demise, whom she had failed to keep contained.
1. REVISED Chapter 1: Ocarina of Time

A young child, only twelve, held up the royal instrument he had just recently acquired.

Despite his best efforts, he could not forget the white horse, nor the darkness chasing behind it. He focused on his goal – to enter the Sacred Realm. Link was in the Temple of Time, and he had very little time to waste. He played the song which naturally hummed from within the blue stone, feeling the river of Time slip from his lips and out of the Ocarina. The Spiritual Stones rested upon the tablet, glowing faintly. The Door that diverged the course of Time, like a stone in a river, began to open; thus it let the ages of two very ancient Lands merge and commune: those of Hyrule and the Sacred Realm. As Link, between worlds, walked through this Door of Time, he heard the voice of his friend in mid-speech; and, coming to himself, he paid attention to her final words:

"...That legendary blade, the Master Sword!"

"Legendary," thought the child. "I certainly haven't heard or seen any legends of this sword. What is it Navi knows about it?"

He walked towards the pristine blade and saw that, while it obviously had not been used in eons, it seemed alive – breathing with knowledge and power. Surely, whoever held this blade had possessed a great courage and was a grand soul.

Link paused. "Did the Sacred Realm truly consist only of a sword's shrine?" he asked himself.

Navi looked at Link, and then hovered over the blade, and felt a conflicted energy emanating from the blade. It felt slumberous and dormant... but she couldn't help feeling it was hiding some greater malice.

Link resolved to pull the blade for curiosity's sake, and with the silent consent of Navi, he hopped atop the Pedestal and relinquished the Master Sword of its seal. Immediately, a blinding beam emitted from the surface below, and he soon lost sight of the world around him. Navi too experienced the effulgent rays of light, but she saw something else: a man. He was standing in the shadows of the room, slowly approaching the sword, a slight grin masking his face.

~~~~~~

Fi awoke, slowly aroused by a soft tune of the wind. She felt Time's Song rippling across her frame – the Blade of Evil's Bane. Soon, with a more adequate conscious functioning, she recognized a boy in green, his face lit by the radiant fairy beside him. She smiled – something she hadn't done since her departure. The youth who would be her Hero had arrived.

The young man grabbed the sword's hilt, and in that one moment, she was released.

Too many thoughts formed in her. "What of Demise? Will he escape? Is the child ready? Am I…"

She saw the hatred of the Demon King rising against her bonds. It came near, ready to rend her being into nothing, when it sensed a new presence: a man, standing in the shadows of the room, slowly approaching the sword. The essence of Demise drew away from Fi and drifted towards the dark figure. The remains of the King of Darkness hastily absolved into the desert-worn warrior as he entered the skies of the Sacred Realm. Fi saw the heart of the man change, becoming more distorted and beastly than any man's heart should be. They entered the Temple of Light, and Fi saw the hand of Ganondorf placed on the Triforce. She heard and saw nothing but the screams of death afterwards.

She saw her Hero, hidden in the Chamber of Sages, dazed and fatigued. She quickly computed a 97% probability that the sudden burst of energy created by the Triforce's split had resulted in this weariness. She let him lie in his slumber for now.

Fi herself felt her bond to the Hero weak. It needed to be restored if he was to wield this blade. She saw the youth of the boy, and knew his otherwise valiant heart could not yet control nor handle the Force which her blade held; he didn't quite trust himself, and he doubted his strengths. Not only that, but his body couldn't physically hold the blade up if he tried! Fi calculated the probabilities of success for each of her available options, and found no viable method for healing and building up the child's soul… not without a significant amount of time.

One part of the gold gift of the Goddesses rested within Link, the crest of Courage on his hand. There was no doubt that he was capable of becoming the Hero... and time would be his teacher.

"Master," she whispered to herself, "the time is not yet come for you to awaken. Your destiny is to be guided with another, but I still shall be with you. May my spirit temper yours in these seven years of rest; may thy friend guide you even as I shall guide her."

~~~~~~

Link left the Temple of Time, in terrified awe of the destruction around him. Confused enough by the words of Rauru, seeing the kingdom in such a disastrous state made his heart burn, as if Din's Fire had been ignited in Death Mountain. But, as he looked to his companion fairy, he could not stay in his woe. "Here is a light –" he thought," – a being so pure and right that none could be lost with her at their side."

Navi, and Fi, her shadow, smiled at their Hero.

~~~~~~

A green tunic flashed out of existence for a brief moment, returning again as a bright blue light shone from beneath the pedestal. The hat turned, revealing the familiar face of a young boy. Navi had gotten used to his adult form, so seeing him as he truly was again was slightly disorienting. She was also a little confused – she no longer felt that small voice that had guided her after the long sleep. She was again left to herself for wisdom.

Ganondorf rose to the forefront of her mind; he hadn't entered the Sacred Realm yet, now that they were back in the past. The voice had showed her the Demon King Demise and his parasitic bond to Ganondorf's heart – perhaps it was also undone in their travel to the past. She looked to the Master Sword, sensing once more the ancient malice that rested within.

Zelda had trapped the Demon King, and Link held the Master Sword in hand. The blade sparkled with the power to repel evil, bonded now to Link's soul, with Fi the conduit between the two. Link raised the blade, and delivered a vicious blow through Ganon's forehead. With the sealing power of Fi fully expelled into the monster as a seal to his magic, Zelda called upon the Sages to lock the beast in the Sacred Realm. Fi looked through Link's eyes in awe, proud of her Hero of Time.


	2. REVISED Chapter 2: Winds of Change

Fi was worn to the point of enervation. She had spent eons encased in stone, using all of the strength she had to refute Demise's efforts to revive. She had awoken from her bondage only to find the Demon King freed as well. And every day and night for over seven years since, she had prepared the heart and the mind of her new Hero to defeat him. She had, through him, vanquished the darkness that threatened the land of Hyrule. She had finally bound the spirit of the hero with the man who now wielded his blade... but she would soon have to leave him. He was no longer the Hero, but a child in desperate need of a childhood and a boy depraved of boyhood.

To lose Him again would be painful, but she could not remain with him. The Master Sword, and thus she, must remain in this Time; else what chance would there be for the world, should the Beast return from its captivity?

And so, as Her Grace sent away the Hero of Time, Fi parted from Navi and separated the Blade of Evil's Bane from Link's back, letting it slowly come to rest at the feet of the Princess. The mark of the Triforce on the royal heir's hand began to glow, and above her the Triforce of Courage reappeared. As it was unable to cross to the new river of Time which had just been formed, lest the Time in which Zelda resided be made corrupted in an eternal imbalance, the Triforce of Courage had too abandoned Link.

Yet, without its rightful bearer's existence, the Triforce of Courage shattered into eight pieces, scattering as they fell beneath the Eternal Sky and into the land of Hyrule.

~~~~~~

Ganondorf laughed in his cage. Though the Malice within him was locked away by the sword and the Sages, the seal was not as complete as they supposed; it would do nothing to the Triforce of Power which he held. He would just need to wait for a time to use it.

~~~~~~

It had been hundreds of years since the coming of the Hero of Time, and Hyrule had grown once again prosperous. In the upper-most balcony of the Swan Castle was the Princess, by whom the castle was so named. She stood up on her tiptoes (she was only twelve years old, and short for her age) and looked out upon the world, pondering the glory of it all – the trees and the distant mountains, the lakes and the vast plains. She looked to the heavens, basking in its life-giving light; there was warmth in its rays that nothing had ever matched – not even the Goron hot-springs.

She hummed a tune as she rested her chin on the balcony railings. Her hands hung loose off of the bar, and Zelda ended her song with a sigh. She opened her eyes (they were now half-closed) and turned her head downward, towards the castle town. She used to view it with intrigue and contentment; now there was an uncertainty about the marketplace that dampened the joy in her surveillance. Maybe it was just because she was growing up, but the town seemed dark recently, full of shady dealers and back alleys that only shadow could illuminate. She quickly looked away – it had become habitual now to take only a quick glance, – directing her gaze to the entrance of a Great Fairy's Fountain nearby.

Princess Zelda had been deliberating in her head over whether to seek guidance from the fairies. Today, she made up her mind; it really could do no harm to leave the castle for a while, and the visit could only benefit her.

The girl leapt out of her room, already fully clothed for the trek. She skipped down the stairs with a childish gaiety. She went out of the back entrance, making sure to evade the gaze of Zuko's telescope; he was one of her courtiers who were supposed to accompany her when she left the castle, but unfortunately for them, her discussion with the Great Fairy would have to be private. She had snuck out this way a few times before, and so was quite used to the climb over the castle wall.

She bid farewell to the wind and ran off to the Great Fairy cavern.

The Great Fairy of Magic was already hovering above her Fountain when Zelda arrived. The Hylian came forward shyly, mumbling a half-question. The fairy chuckled, "Yes, dear princess, I know what ails you. The whole kingdom has been affected by it.

"A fell wind is blowing across the lands. I fear for the safety of your people; there are many among them who even now conspire to destroy the realm of Hyrule. "

Zelda's cheeks, previously red from her sprint across Hyrule Field, softened to a pale hue. "Well, uh… what should we do?" She tried to speak like her mom did, with a regal grace, but that only made it sound more child-like; it did result in another giggle from the Great Fairy, however.

"My dear child, I don't think I'm capable to handle something of this magnitude myself. However, I can take you to someone who might be able to help more."

Zelda frowned, "Who, exactly?"

"Why, the Fairy Queen." The fairy then leaned forward and blew lightly on the Royal Daughter, whisking her away in a sparkle of light.

The princess wasn't fond of such a mode of travel, especially unsolicited. Nevertheless, she swept a hand across her face and through her hair, and surveyed her new location. She could see the sky above her, but she was enclosed by a circular rock wall. There was some wildlife along the fringes, none of which she had ever seen before. Of most intrigue was the pond resting in the center. The water looked very similar to that of the Fairy Fountains, although the open view of the heavens made it look especially pristine.

Ripples appeared in the water, and Zelda heard a voice in her ears. "What occasion brings you, Daughter of Light, to visit me?" Zelda didn't know what that title was supposed to mean, but she replied, "There's a lot of dark things happening near the castle; the Great Fairy of Magic says it's happening elsewhere, too. But I don't know what to do about it."

The Fairy Queen appeared next to the leaves of a tree, lowering herself to the water's surface. She looked very young, like a child. Her eyes were smooth and glossy like the rest of her appearance. She spoke quietly, "I appreciate your simplicity. If it is help you want, I can give it; but there isn't much to give."

"Well, why not!? You're the Fairy Queen; can't you just make people get along?"

"O Daughter of Light, I have served the Goddesses as the Queen of Fairies since I was first given my form by Farore. If there is anything I have learned along the course of my duty, it is that no one can force another to do anything. Persuade, yes; threaten or terrorize, unfortunately; but never force. It is of utmost importance to the Goddesses of Creation that neither I nor They interfere with the free will of their creations."

Zelda wasn't very happy with that answer. "But… they're doing bad things!"

"Yes they are. And they will be accountable for those things. Your duty is not to demand; it is to guide, to encourage, to aid. As a future queen, promoting the good is your first priority, not judging the evil. That role is for the Goddesses."

"Then how do I stop the bad people?"

The Fairy Queen smiled, "Just be what you already are: a Daughter of the Goddess of Light. People may see your example and change. But there will always be those who will not turn from their evil designs.

"Do you remember the story of the Hero of Time? How even when evil had seemed to conquer Hyrule, a boy appeared bearing the Blade of Evil's Bane, and defeated the dark plague?"

Zelda beamed, "That's my favorite story!"

"And it is a true one. The Goddesses are much wiser than we often suppose. And so I want you to remember one thing: no matter how bad the world gets, there is always hope. So do not worry over what may happen tomorrow, or the next month or year; know that beyond the troubled waters of today is an ocean of peace."

And the Fairy Queen vanished into the tree overhanging the pond, her pale, smiling face imprinted in Zelda's memory, along with a pacific tranquility.

~~~~~~

Ganondorf chuckled. He may not have been able to "greet" any of the Seven Sages on his way out of the Sacred Realm – they had left to the heavens some time ago – but he had a more pressing matter to attend to. The war against the Gods had to start somewhere, and where better than Their golden land, Hyrule.

Zelda looked up to the sky. Four weeks had passed since she had communed with the Fairy Queen, and although she tried not to show it, she still felt very worried. She had been told grave news by the postman that afternoon: the Demon King had escaped his prison.

She had relayed the message to her father, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, and he had gone off to the Temple of Time, only speaking to tell her to stay in her room...

And so now, she looked up to the sky. It was dark, brooding; it was as if Anger itself were in the clouds that obscured the Sun.

But it did not rain. And Zelda pondered this, until she heard screaming.

Ganondorf had an army, mostly of monsters, and the most vicious of the Gerudo tribe (hopefully because the more part wished not to fight for him). But there were other races within the horde – wicked-hearted people who had been ousted from the kingdom over the years. They had already sacked half of the town, purging it of any trace of life.

The kingdom, oh the kingdom! What destruction befell it as the princess watched! The townsmen and women ran, unable to defend themselves from the flood of darkness; their swords were rusted from disuse, shields broken...

Yet, there were some who stood against it, futile as it seemed to the girl in the balcony; they were young men who were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity. And this was not all, Zelda knew – they were men whom she had seen before in the market places, who were true at all times with whatsoever thing they were entrusted. They were men of truth and soberness, who walked uprightly before the laws.

These were the few who were clad in armor, the few who defended the castle in the Final Day.

Zelda heard her door open, and saw her mother, Queen Ambi, holding the Royal Family's Ocarina, and a harp.

The Queen gave a pained smile to her daughter, and held out the Harp of the Sheikah to Zelda. Ambi knew the legends of this harp – how it had once guided the Hero of Time to victory over Ganondorf. Giving it to her daughter gave a minute comfort to her troubled heart.

~~~~~~

Daphnes ran to the back entrance of the Swan Castle frantically. How could he not, with the Demon King nearing his doorstep!? The Master Sword was in his hands, thankfully not shattered. The slight glow it emitted meant that the Wind and Earth Sages were still safe...

He then climbed up the staircases to the top floor, and entered his bedroom. He tucked the Blade of Evil's Bane under the bed, and pulled the Wind Waker from his coat.

He saw his wife and daughter as he crossed the hall and entered Zelda's room. He almost perceived the soft tunes of the scared instruments the two held. He stared a bit at the Goddess Harp in Zelda's right arm...

He said, "Zelda, my beautiful dear, you know how to play the harp, correct?"

"Of course, Daddy. You know how long I've been practicing in my room."

"Yes, I do know." He chuckled, "I just need to be sure it's gotten better since last I heard."

Zelda laughed openly, her face radiating joy.

The moment was cut short by the front gates bursting open. "Ahem. Well, I'm sure you've seen me conduct with the Wind Waker at the annual concerts, and I don't doubt your musical talent. Can you play a song for us, to pray to the gods before we… depart? Your mother will accompany you."

"Sure; which one? The Sun's Song, Requiem of Spirit, Song of Time...?"

"Whatever you feel will fit best. We are praying for mercy with this music... Play what you think we should ask for."

Perhaps it was because of her lineage, or of Time's whispered wisdom, or even inspiration from another world... But Zelda recalled a song she had never heard; one that was lost to all current knowledge. A song that had only been played by two others in this world: a windmill caretaker, and the Hero of Time himself...

And she began the Song of Storms on the Goddess Harp. It began slow, uncertain as the first raindrops of a spring shower. Soon, however, the rhythm picked up, like the wind in a coming tempest. Her father conducted the breath of their music as her mother, instinctively, began to play the harmony. The music swelled like the thundering clouds, clashing with the shock of destruction below; but among all this, Zelda's pointed ears also heard a distant sob, echoing from the heavens.

Zelda had heard a Goddess...

~~~~~~

"What is it that hurts Thee so?" Farore hugged her sister, her arms wrapped over the once flaming muscles of Din. "Wherefore dost Thou cry; what pain is there that the Creator of the Red Earth should fall to agony for its sake?"

Din raised her head from her hands to speak. "Dost Thou not feel my woe as well? Canst Thou not comprehend my heart?" She ignited – an aggrieved fire beneath the greenery of the Goddess of Life. "Demise's host is waltzing about, bearing MY power and using MY fire to burn our sacred land to the ground!"

"Sister, please, be soothed. 'Tis not cause to be in such anguish..." But Farore doubted her own words.

Din exploded in rage at the response. "YOUR OWN CREATIONS LIE DEAD IN THE STREETS!" The twilight behind the clouds over Hyrule burned fiercely as lightning began sparking in the sky. "Or are lost, running away hopelessly!"

Farore could not take such accusation in silence, and so replied, "Do not tell me that I do not see their suffering! I have felt every anguishing moment of their torment!"

"THEN DIE! DIE KNOWING YOU CAN NOT WEEP FOR THEIR PAIN!"

Din knocked Farore from her, sweeping flames across her right side with her hand. Farore fell to her knees, back turned to the Goddess of Fire. Her hair hung over her face, obscuring her peripheral view. She stared at the floor, wounded like a forest caught on fire.

Din looked away from her sister, wandering between fury and sorrow. How quick they were to lust – how soon to forget the Gods who made them, and blessed them exceedingly. How quick they were to judgement and spite, to violence and hatred. It had been Din's sad experience, for much too long now, that it was the nature and disposition of most men, as soon as they got a little power, to exercise unrighteous dominion. Thus many are called to positions of power, or wisdom, or courage; but few are chosen.

In despair, the two Goddesses rent their robes, and with them the heavens.

The Goddess of Courage looked within the tear she had made, and saw the multitude of worlds which moved there. Her sight, blurred with water, looked through the rip in the veil to the land of Hyrule, watching the terrors which her creations had brought upon themselves: destruction, sorrow, and despair.

Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, and Love, and Law, came closer to her sisters, whom she had been watching. As she came to the tear, she heard an ancient song – a song of endless woe.

She looked, and saw their daughter – the Goddess of Light, and Truth, and Virtue – bearing her ancient Harp...

She spoke, as her sisters mourned, to Princess Zelda.

~~~~~~

Zelda heard the Goddess of Wisdom speak to her, almost silently.

"Zelda, daughter of destiny, hear us. Though the young men below you now prove their courage, and seal their goodness with their blood, worry not over the lives of Our people. We shall save their wives and children, and the many other righteous who live among Our people. But the villainous, the wicked, the deceitful, and the covetous: wo, wo be unto them! For their deceptions we know, and their works we have seen! The world has for far too long been polluted with their corruption, and their days are at an end.

"May they know that the thousand years of raindrops summoned by thy song are our tears, and the thunder that strikes the earth is our anger!"

Nayru viewed her falling kingdom and choked on the last words.

"The Song of the Goddesses' Flood."

They wept.

~~~~~~

Zelda looked in awe at the lightning, now free to come down and crush the earth, and the rain. "Father... how is it that the heavens weep? For the Gods are holy, and Endless are their names!" She began reciting a favorite piece of prose from her books: "And were it possible to number the particles of the earth, it would not be a beginning to the number of their creations…" Zelda looked down, trying to remember the words. "… And yet they are here, and their hearts are here; and naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of their throne."

"How then can they weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?"

Her father could not answer her... so her mother did instead, kneeling to be at Zelda's eye level. "We are the workmanship of their hands, and they have given us knowledge and agency from our creation. And to us they have said, and also given commandment, that we should love one another, and that they should seek after wisdom and virtue. But there are many who are without affection, and they hate their own blood and kin; why shouldn't the heavens be pained, to see their creations turn to darkness? Wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?"

Zelda nodded slowly; the battle far below sounded somber now, muffled by the rain.

"Now, honey, I must go return this instrument. And then, we can..." She looked feverishly to her husband, who looked just as nervous.

Zelda's face beamed. "The Goddesses will save us! They told me!"

Her parents were in shock; though they both had the capacity, neither had heard the Gods speak to them. Recovering, Ambi embraced her daughter with tears. "You've always been such a talented young woman. I love you." And then the queen exited the room.

The Ocarina would eventually find its own way through Time, and whether it shall be found again as it floats in Time's river, or not, none truly know. Its carrier, however, would die clutching its glassy surface to her chest.

~~~~~~

King Hyrule took Zelda's right hand, pulling out a necklace with a golden charm.

"Darling, look here." When she looked to her arm, she saw a glow and the faint shape of the Sacred Triangle above the wrist. It was beautiful. "Please, don't speak. There is not time." His daughter closed her half-opened mouth.

"Zelda, for the safety of this kingdom, I give to you a shard of the Triforce of Wisdom. Keep this above all things safe." He pulled out next a blue stone. "This is fashioned from a Sheikah Stone. It is a charm through which all of the Royal Family can communicate. Keep it near you, and I will be as if beside you at all times.

"Now, go, out to the spring courtyard! Your friends are already there."

As Zelda ran out the door, Daphnes retook the Master Sword and followed after her. When they reached the first floor balcony, he took a red object from his pocket and rubbed it. It was an old Sheikah trick; this stone held a very specific magic that enabled it to hide the truth (it was also used within the Lens of Truth, interestingly). It created visages of walls or floors which were not there, and he used it now to hide access to the other floors of the castle. Closing all of the doors behind the fake walls, he looked down, thankfully seeing Zelda behind Gonzales and his other companions at the back exit to the spring.

But monsters were overtaking the front bridge.

The king went swiftly to the statue of the Hero of Time. Pressing the shard of the Triforce of Wisdom he held to the base, he warped into the basement. It was, however, a one-way access. He didn't wish to actually open the stairway – the basement needed to stay hidden. Besides, he didn't suspect he would be leaving the basement anytime soon.

He moved anxiously to the center of the room. This room was once a ceremonial place in which new Knights of Hyrule would come and release their "destined blade" from the pedestal, as the Hero of Time had done. Now, he looked at the strange coincidence – that the kingdom would end by refuting the call to be a Hero, and a Knight.

When he thrust the blade in, he locked away with it Courage, Hope, and Life. The Blade of Evil's Bane spoke to the kingdom, "THE HERO IS NOT YET!"

And so, Time stopped.

~~~~~~

Zelda woke, in her bed, on her ship.

She could not hear her father or her mother... not since the Great Flood. She still wore the charm though, in front of her "golden gem".

But, she could hear something. It was a still, small voice. It almost felt like a hug from somebody... somebody with faith in a Hero. And if this Comforter could have faith in such a legend, so could she.


	3. (TO BE REVISED) Chapter 3: The Two Sages

Laruto played peacefully, as she did every day. The music was a sacred piece whose steadfast melody comforted her when she was distressed. Playing the song was essential to the maintaining of the Master Sword's power to repel evil; so were her prayers to the Goddesses. There was not much in the physical room in which she strummed her lyre that was of much interest anyways – just an empty, circular space. But the lands she traversed with her spirit were beyond glorious. She had recently been speaking to two of the Seven Sages from the ancient times – specifically, to Nabooru and Impa, Sages of Spirt and Shadow, – concerning the true nature of that elemental structure which she, Laruto, looked over, Earth. There was so much that she did not yet know, and the knowledge held by Shadow and Spirit sages was most peculiar to her.

Fire and Water she understood easily; Darunia and Ruto had taught her as a youth all about their elements, when Laruto had been recently tasked with her duty. Knowing of those two were essential to being a Sage of Earth, after all. Forest and Light she comprehended easily enough; she was too shy to go to meet the great Rauru, but she learned quite a bit from a talk that she had with Fado, the Sage of Wind.

But still, after her long walk with Impa, shadows puzzled her; and despite a brilliant view of many great spirits (Levias, the Spirit of the Skies, was particularly fantastic to her,) she did not feel that she knew truly what a spirit was.

This was not all that troubled Laruto. She had, long ago, been able to see within her spiritual walks Hyrule, the kingdom from whence she came. It had been quite a while, but one day that sight had been shrouded in a great storm, and by a deluge of water which she did not understand. Today, however, she felt something stirring the waters, climbing out of the depths of the darkest sands. It put fear in her heart to just think of the absolute blackness that was out there, somewhere. So, she played the Lyric of the Earth God Din even stronger (though it was not louder).

To ease her mind, she let it wander on new tangent, all the while having the song continue on. 'Why is it that I, a Zora, whose matron Goddess is Nayru, am chosen of all to be a Sage of Earth and to pray to Din? Why is it…" She, always a bit loose with her mind's river, found that it had flowed into a different topic already… "Why is it that this music which is of Din is so peaceful and light, when She so often appears to be a strong and powerful, and a fierce Being?' She continued on that line of thought, and over the next hour began to understand a truth, that though new to her, was from even before Nayru created the river of Time.

The distinctions which are so often made between the Gods, the elements, and truths, inevitably will cause those things to diverge in peoples' minds from each other, despite the fact that they no longer see – that all things are intimately linked. And, when those diversions become great enough, many would begin to say that each thing is independent of all other things. But then, those things would become interloped lies, twisted and often darkened manifestations of that which was once sacred and special. Laruto paused, and looked at it the other way. If instead different truths and different elements were converged and compared, then all of them become whole together. All things which are true become evidence of all else that is true, and therefore become evidence of their own truth. All that is deception and all that is dark are cast out by the light of the fullness of truth.

The Heavens were but the Sea of Wind and an Ocean was a Sky of Water. And they stretched out to that great Horizon, where they met in blue glory, streaked at times with the red glow of the twilight sun. They are naturally bound to each other, not separated or dead, but under covenant with each other. The very sight of them quickened all Life that would bear its sight, and did not spite the light.

'O the Earth! It is that great bind between the Great Sky and the Great Sea, the soil upon which the Woods of Discovery and the Woods of Deception grow, Woods wherein the foolish lose their way, and the humble find wisdom; the Woods through which all worlds, realms, and kingdoms may come united, upon one great Earth.

'O that I could fly, and soar in that Sea of Wind, even as I soar through a river! O that I could live on the red Earth, in harmony to the Wind!' All the while she played, for she never ceased…

Until Ganondorf entered her hall.

He didn't have much patience left, and the brat's defensive stance got on his nerves. He grimaced at the sight of Laruto, standing there as if there was anything of any true worth she was protecting. "Stubborn, I see. Foolish, as well; there is nothing here to aid you, and nothing to stop me."

The Earth Sage held her ground. She knew very little of the "King of Evil", but she knew enough to retort. "You are the fool here, Ganondorf."

"Mmm," he said. "And how is that?"

"Look at yourself; it is by your own obstinate lust that you have failed to achieve that which you desire! There is no strength of yours that can triumph over that great Force of the Goddesses; you are nothing more than a pig!"

The Demon King lifted his right arm and let the crest of the Gods glow. "Don't insult me, you rotten fish! I have rightfully earned that Power from them! I –"

"SILENCE!" Laruto spoke with a voice that shook the temple. "You dare enter, walking upon the earth of my stewardship!? You take hold of the Golden Gift of Din against me, Her servant – claim it as your own, as some title you EARNED!?"

"Yes… yes, I do. And do you care to know why?" Ganondorf spoke very quietly, smoothly.

Laruto wasn't expecting that response.

Ganondorf continued, chuckling: "Do you know why you tremble inside at the sight of me, as I bear the Power of Din? Why, despite your generous and long-lasting prayers, the Gods have not seen fit to save you from me?"

Laruto did not speak; Ganondorf took a small mask out of his pocket, and surged Force into it; it grew very, very large. He spoke again, after tossing the mask at Laruto's feet.

"Because I know. Can't you understand little one? Don't you see…?" Poes had begun congregating around the mask, and the whole temple began to slowly be overshadowed. The lights shining in the room were covered by an unseen hand, and the mask slowly gained an ethereal body around itself, as it rose into the air. Laruto choked, slowly, falling in an endless blackness – that very Darkness in which lost souls of old had fallen. She lost control of her limbs, which were suspended just above the earth.

"Your gods destroyed you… they don't care for you enough to toss even a pebble near me!"

Laruto finally spoke, but not with her lips, even as her frame quaked and snapped. "The God's Power is against you, and your own darkness shall betray you, even as you wander as a fly to the light. I have seen it, that "magic" of yours; it is nothing but malice, destruction… and it shall be thy Demise, in the end…"

The earth rumbled, and the foundation below the floor cracked open. Laruto died. And Fi, the witness for the Gods, silently and invisibly fled with her spirit.

Fado moved across the winds, adding ever to them his melody, the Wind God's Aria, through his violin. He always felt at peace here, the air flowing around him with a purposeful motion. They, the winds, were his teachers. They would speak to him throughout the day, when his spirit was in the room, telling him wondrous legends and peculiar truths.

It had been a long time since anything serious had come to his attention, but the winds were still intruiging to listen to. It had been years since the fell winds blew across him. The last time they had... that day years ago... it had come so suddenly, and just as quickly left with a salty, almost wet smell. It was strange, unsettling, that nothing serious had come to him since. Closely preceding that brooding wind's departure, he even thought he had heard an ocarina being played…

Still, he played on. That was one of his first lessons from when he was a musician for the Royal Family: "Worry and doubt are not cause to cease the music of joy and jubilee!" They were the words of his instructor, a descendant of the ancient Composer Brother Sharp. In fact, his instructor was so proud of this heritage that he had plastered his ancestor's famous line on the back wall of his music room:

"The rising sun will eventually set,

A newborn's life will fade.

From sun to moon, moon to sun...

Give peaceful rest to the living dead."

Fado was always particularly fascinated with the melody the poem referred to: the Sun's Song. He hadn't heard it in a long time, though; he couldn't play it quite right on his violin, and there were not any wind instruments around to play anything with. Besides, he couldn't just stop playing the Wind God's Aria; how ashamed would Farore be of him if he did!

He wasn't hearing anything too intriguing from the winds at the moment, and so Fado instead reflected on how he had arrived to this place. He had been returning home from a concert conducted by the King himself, holding his violin. It was at that moment that appearing before him at the woods' edge was Saria, the great Sage of Forest. He had knelt down, in awe at the sight of her. And many things did she speak unto him, which he whispered again in his hall today as he remembered them, though they cannot be written by man. He was officially called to the work as the Sage of Wind.

Fado felt that fell wind again.

"Why?"

"I might ask you the same."

Ganondorf laughed in his gut, his head bent so that it seemed he was hurling his outburst at the sky. "So stubborn, just like your friend. Unfortunately, you two don't seem to understand that it won't save you."

Fado glinted worry past his eyes – the winds hadn't told him of anything happening to Laruto!

"Now, little child, I'll ask you again... Why?"

The Wind Sage had a humble and most definitely angered air about him as he responded. "I stand here because it is right. I worship here because it is good. And I certainly defy you, because you have no power that can last, and no goodness that you sustain."

Ganondorf's lips twiched on the left side, both at the Kokiri's answer and at the sand slowly pouring through the ceiling. "Boy, do you know where this temple lies?"

"At the very same castle where you were defeated by the Hero of Time."

Ganondorf gave a single, brooding nod. "And surely you've felt the cool winds that surround this place – the sweet scent that travels with it?"

Fado had no clue where the Demon King was going with this. "Yes."

The sand on the floor had noticibly risen, and the downpour from the ceiling no longer went unnoticed by the sage. Still, Ganondorf continued.

"How sheltered your life must be. But it won't matter much soon. Do you feel that air above you?" Fado nodded absently as he stared at the roof, but Ganondorf was continuing regardless. "That is the wind of my country, come to... greet you. Do you hear the message on its breath? The words which it ceaselessly drones?"

The Wind Sage looked back at the pig before him. Ganondorf's hand glowed yellow, and he released some form of magic into the rising sand floor.

"So innocent – what are you but a mere child from a world of proclaimed immortality; a boy, locked up in a room filled with petty drafts speaking of rainbows and butterflies. You are a fool, dreaming up fantasies of a world you are blind to!"

The Gerudo King took the child by the neck, as behind him Molgera leaped from its sand sea.

Fado was scared; he had never felt such fear and anxiety before from the winds... it was so unlike what he knew.

Ganondorf whispered, "These are the Winds of Death," and flung the Wind Sage into the air.

But, as the monstrous worm came to swallow him up, Fado stopped feeling that wind. He was enveloped by a new being – like a calm sea breeze. It had a still, small voice, and said to him, "Fear not, for your end is not here."

He felt a new determination inside of him, and he swung his violin bow at the beast. It struck the tip of its tounge, which shed off, leaving a transparent end to the purple appendage. The monster turned away and back into the sand, leaving Fado in free-fall. The beast, and the sand it seemed, were retreating away.

As he saw Ganondorf pull up two blades to cut him through, he again heard the peaceful wind. "Be not afraid, for I am with thee."

Fado's spirit was carried off to safety by Fi, leaving the dying Gerudo King to laugh alone at the blood-stained corpse on his blades.


	4. Chapter 4: Waker of the Winds

Some credits before I start this part:

OcarinaGreen on DeviantArt for the beautiful poem, The Wind is Free (which can be found within her fanfiction: Ezlo's Apprentice)

And the prayer you will read that The King of Red Lions speaks is actually lyrics to Farewell Hyrule King written by myself, originally on DeviantArt.

Anyways, on with my favorite part :D

Seagulls flew.

They were so simple to her, but so beautiful. Never had or would anything be as intimately fascinating to Aryll as these majesties were. They never fretted about the changes tomorrow might bring, or of the food they might not have or the protection they might not find. For essentially her entire childhood, this curious attribute of seagulls gave Aryll a smile; and, along with her friendly neighbors, her sweet grandmother, and her brother, the seagulls made certain that Aryll would never find a day without some happiness, some simple joy resting within. She was given a telescope at 6 years of age, which opened up new vision for her, a more precise method of perceiving her best friends.

Of course, that also meant quite a bit of spying on her brother. It was for fun, of course, not for anything malicious – she didn't know such things. All she knew was that the seagulls would carry her dreams, her hopes; she knew that Link would be her hero, her brother.

Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule awoke. He stood, slightly slumped, holding the hilt of the Master Sword. The Blade of Evil's Bane no longer shimmered as it had while the kingdom had lived; it was the same dull gray as the stone that encased it. But he took little notice of it. He cared only to find the Hero who would release this sword again, and wield it as he could not. And the king's awakening certainly meant something important. Or, perhaps it was just the whims of an old man which aroused the ancient faculties of his body (now closer to a ghost than a living being); or again, perhaps it was the wind.

"Yes," spoke the king. "It was the wind."

As he paid attention to the room, he tasted something – a quick breath. Swiftly did it come, and sweetly did it feel; it was a quick breath of life, and it led him out to the entrance hall (as his shaded self could indeed pass through the statue of the Hero of Time). He absently considered his current state, coming to a metaphorical conclusion. He was… harrowed, rooted from the ground, but not entirely. It was as though he were a flower carelessly taken in the grasp of a child, but let free before its inevitable doom. He felt the soil of the earth give him strength, and the breath of the wind give him life, but he was so nearly detached from the both, his roots and pedals both drying, wilting…

He left out of the castle front, and felt himself ascending. He looked around at his former kingdom, his former glory, and felt a cold chill wash over him at such a morbid sight. He swam loosely to the surface of his sorrows, and saw a Great Sea expanding before him. And he was woeful.

Fi continued to guide the lost soul of a king, at the request of the Goddesses, until he reached the surface of Their ancient tears.

Fi looked at him, pondering shortly. She felt emotion rack her as she saw the brilliant red of his coat hanging buoyantly off of his shoulders – it was just like the Loftwing. Though, such a comparison was not completely frivolous to Fi. She wasn't quite sure why, but she knew that it would be best for her Hero if he had a proper mode of transportation. She looked about for a considerable while, beckoning the king with her, to find a suitable boat.

It was at Greatfish Isle, home of Jabun, that she found such a boat. It was finely crafted and durable, despite its miniscule nature. With consent from Jabun, Fi began working on a masthead. At first, she wanted a bird (for obvious reasons), and later a serpent. It was only after significant trial and error that she arrived at a lion. And, as the King of Hyrule went within the vessel, Fi conjured a name: The King of Red Lions.

There was a deeply rooted problem with the King, however: he possessed no sail. And a boat with no sail can sail no seas! The wind was not strong with Daphnes, it seemed. Or rather, he was neither prepared nor willing to fill himself with the winds of the new world. For, he was indeed thrust into the world, suddenly, as a child is forced back upon the land by the tides.

Nevertheless, the elder continued on, patiently aiding the younger (yet much older) soul which inhabited the small red boat.

They travelled many days and nights, searching for the Hero. The King of Red Lions took rest at some passed islands, but Fi never slept. While he went to doze at the shores of Windfall Island, Fi went off, wending her way with the winds (and the advice of the two Sages), towards a small protrusion above the ocean known as Outset.

Link closed the door behind him, making sure not to wake his grandmother. He walked down the dirt path in front of his house, his footsteps hidden by the sonorous waves sweeping the shore. He crossed the island, coming to the lookout tower that rose to just under the height of the isle's mount. He climbed the ladder to the top, and viewed from it the fantastic expanse of the ocean. He did this many times, and had an especial reason now: to enjoy the midnight that began his birthday.

He was now 12 years old, the same age as the Legendary Hero. The fact didn't matter much to him – the legend always seemed a little preposterous; how could someone travel across time, appearing and vanishing in times of need, and yet still be unable to save a falling kingdom? How could any _real_ hero leave the world to such a terrible fate? How could any hero with such wonderful power be so cowardly, to hide when his people needed him most?

He might have saved his parents, too...

But he was only a legend.

Fi saw him sleeping on a watchtower.

He looked peaceful, youthful – he seemed to be a carefree soul. He was not without pain, though a child; yet he was full of courage, integrity, and the desire to protect those he loved. They were simple feelings, not fully grown or realized, but that mattered not to Fi. For, in seven years that was but a moment, she had trained the Hero's soul before, that when it was of age it was worthy of her and the Blade of Evil's Bane; so again could she show the way for this Hero.

Thankfully, however, such a time as seven years did not seem necessary in this case, as she assessed her calculations. Considering the specific emotional state, environment, and character of the Hero, there was a 94% chance that his growth would need to come in a manner other than physical change over time.

But for now, a message of peace was all that was necessary.

"Hero, I welcome thee again. Thou were lost in the flow of time, but we have found each other at the horizon once again. The west-bound wind blows from the east, and the sun soon rises with it. Come, awake and arise, and let the light within thee shine forth, that it may be a standard for all people, and for this remnant of the people of Hylia. The world has need of a Hero again, to restore the kingdom that was lost.

"Destiny shall soon find you, Link. The time has come for you to awaken…"

"HOY!"

Link saw oceans – vast oceans, as far as his mind could dream. And in that ocean, he saw only a single red object. Rather, he saw the reflection of one; Link looked up towards the sky. He saw, faintly, a feather sinking through the wind. It had an innocent beauty in its vibrancy. He heard a sharp sound, much like a bird call, from high above his view.

"Big Brother!"

He thought he saw a red plumage dive from above the clouds toward him, but as it neared, the bird vanished, a gust of wind the only record of its existence. Link heard a bird call again, this time of a much more familiar fowl: the seagulls. They flew in a sparse flock, onward toward the rising sun, calling ahead to its light. Among the voices, he heard another beckoning; it was carried by the winds directly at him.

"Big Brother!"

Link thought he saw the gleam of a telescope watching the seagulls before he awoke; so did Link awaken, on his twelfth birthday and in his crayfish pajamas, while his sister held up her telescope to watch her Hero wake up.

Link was more than a little scared – being carried by a demonic bird wasn't much of a happy incident. He struggled of course, but there wasn't much struggling that could be done; the bird's grip was almost suffocating. He could only look at the night world around him, and at the man who stood between two red flames…

The King of Red Lions was awoken early in the morning by the winds, as he always was. He couldn't fill himself with the strength and comfort of them yet as he still had no sail, but he nevertheless revered and followed the call of the wind. Today, it seemed, he was called in the northeastern direction. He had never been out there before, but if that part of the ocean was anything like the place concealed deep beneath it, he would be keeping a very safe distance; Gerudos were never a welcome sight.

The whole day he (very slowly) travelled, until the winds impressed him to stop. The night was coming on, and the winds came to him and whispered, audibly: "Be still; the Hero arrives."

It was almost midnight when he found that prophecy fulfilled (though he did not believe it when it happened): a green speck was hurtling towards him from the tops of a forsaken fortress.

"I say I had met with a terrible fate, terrible!"

"It sounds tragic, indeed!"

The two men conversed on their small boat, eager to find land. The former speaker replied, "It was! But all was well for me – I tell you I was saved by the Great Fairies, I was!"

"Did you really see Them? The Protectors of Light themselves?" The coated man inquired with interest.

"Oh, I didn't see them in their true form, I suppose, but I know that I saw their magic save me. I was searching the mysterious Woods near the swamp when it happened, actually, and the water had washed away my beautiful maps! But the Fairies saw fit to save me; I was sure I was to drown, but their magic brought me above the flood, and carried me to you."

"This is a fascinating story. Where did this water come from again?"

"Well, I don't quite know; I know that it just… appeared, from a large and dark pathway that led into the depths of the Woods. Perhaps even some other land outside of Term-"

"Wait!" The coated man was looking out the starboard side. "I see a lighthouse… it doesn't have any light in it, but I do say, I see the tower!"

The boat hit some nasty waves as it neared the shore, scattering the wood boards into the sea. Only the sail was salvaged.

The coated man was disheartened at the loss of his ship, "But alas, that is the cost all seafarers pay one day," he supposed.

"O, thank you, thank you much, sir, for taking me to this new land in safety. May the blessings of the fairies be with you!"

The coated man nodded. The green man said, "Kooloo-limpah," and skipped off into town, only to be put in jail the next day for stealing a pictograph box.

The King waited for a long time. He had expected obtaining Din's Pearl to be a quick task… he hoped Link wasn't making a fool of himself. He wasn't really sure about the boy; he didn't seem to have much of a Hero's Spirit… but he was courageous, and kind. In such a sparse world, that was all the King could ask for.

He saw two Rito descending from the mountain. One of them, a boy, had a scared, perhaps ashamed look on his face, while the girl beside him held a continual smile. And, in the boy's hands, was Din's Pearl!

The King had spoken with Valoo in search of the Hero previously, and tried to recall who the pearl's bearer could be. He came upon the name: Prince Komali.

The girl was being very sweet to him, and her voice held some resemblance to a teacher's. Or a mother's. She was probably Komali's attendant, teaching him some new lesson. Since the King of Red Lions had nothing else to really do, and because of the genuine interest he had in the sweet Rito youth in front of him, he paid attention to the lesson Komali was receiving:

_"__The wind is free.  
The wind is overwhelming power,  
And the wind is blissful peace.  
On the winds ride dangerous embers of fire,  
And alongside them, the wings of calling geese.  
The wind sounds of the screeching of demons,  
And it can sound of the whispers of angels.  
The wind gives us reasons to fly,  
But with it, it brings troubles.  
The wind can destroy with great storms,  
And it can clear the clouds and welcome sunshine.  
The wind is joyful and warm;  
The wind is brutal and as cold as ice.  
The wind can leave you torn,  
Or give you wings.  
The wind gives us a choice.  
Because in the wind,  
We are free."_

"Wow, Medli, did you make that yourself?"

"Oh, of course not, Komali; I'm not that good. It's a poem taken from very, very ancient times. They say that it was from so far back that the Great Sea was just dry land!"

"That's impossible. The Great Sea's always been here!"

Medli shook her head. "Komali, Valoo said so. And I think we can trust him."

"Well, I haven't even talked to Valoo yet, Medli. How would I know what he says?"

Medli shied back a bit; she had forgotten that. She changed the subject, "I hope Link will save him…"

Komali softened and was about to respond, when Link appeared in front of them.

Fi observed the Hero as he stepped towards her blade. He did so with such childish simplicity… so much like the Hero of Time had done. She was heartbroken when she saw the Master Sword: it was dull, overshadowed… It pained Fi to see it in such a way. She predicted an 89% chance that her hundreds of years of absence in search of the Hero and the death of the Two Sages accounted for the failing condition of the sword, though other factors seemed possible, such as the corrupted heart of the kingdom, or the withholding of power by the Goddesses. Added to the sting in her heart was a second, and slightly humorous, discovery: the sword had also shrunken considerably. The length was an appropriate one, at least, for the child who now wielded it, but it was nonetheless quite puny; she almost giggled when she saw Link's face, a sad smile on her own.

When he thrust the blade out, he also revoked a pause set in Hyrule. The Blade of Evil's Bane spoke to the kingdom, "THE HERO NOW COMES!"

And so, Time began.

Medli beamed, running into the room where Link stood triumphant over the shadows of death. Light had again returned to the Earth, and they communed happily with each other. Link silently pulled out the Wind Waker, Medli hefted her lyre, and Laruto had her heart lifted: the Earth God's Lyric again was in the soul of the Earth!

The Master Sword resonated, its wings eager to fly again and its edge desirous to be sharp. The Earth listened to the Light's beckoning, and Fi carried the strength of the Surface into her blade. The Earth had sharpened the dulled weapon and gave it the courage to spread its wings.

Makar skipped along into the room, where Link stood victorious over the sands of death. The Earth which was imbued in the blade had ordered the Winds, and the two communed with each other through the Light of the Spirit of the Sword. Link and Makar nodded, and in harmony commanded the zephyr into gales, and Fado also played. The Wind God's Aria was sung again by the moving air!

The Master Sword vibrated slightly, like the string of a violin, taking in the billows around it. The Wind listened to the Light's call, and Fi swept the wind under the wings of the blade, that it could fly freely again. The blade glowed with joy, and it sparkled with the power to repel evil.

Ganondorf was furious. How could they not understand? How could they not see?! Their gods were pulling all of them like puppets on strings. What future they hoped for was as the wistful winds; there was no goal, no destination, no worth to the wind, not anymore. And yet they would let its careless movement guide them foolishly off into an eternal ocean! WHAT COULD THEY POSSIBLY HOPE FOR!? THERE IS NOTHING OUT THERE!

He felt a sharp pain in his limbs as a boomerang sliced away at his strings, and a jolt of lightning as his tail end was pierced with an arrow. The Hero of Time reborn was all he expected him to be…

His strings grew back again and again, and even as his pig-like greed was banished by the Light he had hidden away with his Shadow, the strings reattached, and he simply shed a trivial layer of himself, becoming a spider – possessive, selfish, hiding above the land until the binding seal on him loosened enough for him to descend and attempt to take back the puddle that was rightfully his.

But, the Hero would not be so fooled as to think that there was any more to be gained from the puddle that was once a Kingdom. He pierced the tail of the beast, which withered, wriggling like a worm until it was one. Ganondorf was almost completely shattered. He weaved around the oceanic quagmire surrounding the small stone that was Hyrule, searching for anything (including Link's fish bait) that he could salvage from his utter defeat. He spewed monsters of attachment across the small isle where Zelda had previously slept, hoping to somehow catch the phantom of her presence. The monstrous eyes grabbed onto Link, hoping to trap him also in the world of the past. Ganondorf, the wriggling worm, was no longer bound by strings save one…

And it was a string of fate which bound Ganondorf to Hyrule and to the Hero of Time, both of which were no more.

The Hero of Winds destroyed the worm with Light Arrows, and the man who hid within it stole away with Zelda, one final time.

And Fi looked up to Demise, and at the string which still hung over the puddle of Hyrule, and which Link now climbed (much as her first Hero had done, but with a white piece of twine that led out of the tomb of the dead beneath an Ancient Cistern). She recalled a certain threat of an ancient enemy to her first Hero (she almost heard his flamboyant laugh in her mind), and she realized the truth of this everlasting string.

The string of fate which bound Ganondorf was soaked crimson, not with the sky child's, or the ocean child's… but with his own.

Zelda was taken back a bit; having the big bad guy laugh in hysteria after losing everything he fought for was unnerving.

"What are you laughing at, Ganondorf? You're insane!"

Zelda was holding the Blade of Evil's Bane, and for the first time in many millennia Fi felt the passive comfort of Her Grace caressing her heart.

Zelda kept speaking, "Link! I'm sorry! I overslept," and handed the Master Sword to the Hero of Winds.

Link leapt off of solid earth into the sky, and still high above him the sea winds waited…

As he came back down, his sword on a collision course with Ganondorf's skull, Link felt his crawfish pajamas shifting under his green Hero garb. And so, he thought of his grandma as the Master Sword slid into its final pedestal.

Just before the man's exterior was transformed to match his interior (that is, stone) by the Blade of Evil's Bane, Ganondorf spoke words both of his own, and of the Spirit of the Sword.

"The wind… It is blowing…"

Ganondorf died.

King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule gave his final prayer…

(Light... fading… Oceans... crashing…)  
Legend, passed ever on the Wind's breath.  
Seas, soon, shall rid me of my own.  
Once blessed, now by Gods condemned to Death's depths –  
Falling, to the heav'ns, this Tow'r of Stone.

Din, I hear thine impassioned cries (from deep inside)!  
Nayru, I feel these tears so kind (this rain of Thine).  
I, hath spread thy seeds, Farore,  
From this sky to sea and shore!

May my kingdom be restored! (No.)

Wind, within my frame, flees;  
Now, humbly, I drown.  
O, what villain I've been –  
Fool, wearing a crown.

Crush me beneath the ocean floor!  
Guide Thy posterity once more!  
Legends will ever tell their tale,  
Keep me hidden in thy veil,  
May my sins not be reborn!

O, that I was blessed to  
Die from this Blade's might!  
Zelda, Child of Virtue,  
Curse my ancient plight…

Tetra did not know for sure where she would be heading next, but the winds assured her that they would lead their ships where they should go, and that if they follow the gales, they never shall be lost. She thought on her ancestor's words of wisdom (a wise woman herself): "You must look forward and walk a path of hope, trusting that it will sustain you when darkness comes." To walk in light, though it is midnight… what a glorious thing that would be…

Aryll saw her brother sail into the distance, and the seagulls with them. She didn't want to see her dream leave, to see her hero disappear into the horizon…

But she heard something. It was still, and very small, but she heard a voice, clearly speaking to her. It comforted her worried mind and her sorrowed heart.

She could always dream anew, but today she would awaken. And forever would her seagulls protect and watch over her brother…

Fi knew it wasn't over.

Ganondorf may have been slain, the Master Sword banished with him, and the Triforce taken up again by the Gods…

But that persistent thread of fate, that most black Demon King was relentless. His remnants would flow into the sea as black ink, and find a new being foolish and darkened enough to accept him as their puppeteer. For Ganondorf was always just a puppet, doomed by his own volition to be chained down by the Liar.

His God destroyed him…

And Demise would continue to fester in the depths of the sea until the day of fate came again. He was not even a consciousness any more – the Master Sword had eternally eradicated that part… but even Her Grace knew that her Blade was insufficient to truly kill that wicked desire… not of itself.

No, it would require a righteous heart, yea, a nation of them, headed by Virtuous Power, Wisdom, and Courage. So she followed the Hero of Winds, hopeful as he was to find the land of promise, where pride would never corrupt, and light would never turn its face from the people therein.

And they followed the winds.

And seagulls flew.


	5. Chapter 5: Phantoms and Spirits

"She should be back by now."

Oshus loved Ciela, but her memory loss had made the Spirit of Courage a bit over-zealous. He wasn't really that worried – the island was safe enough, peaceful. But Oshus was curious as to the cause for her extended absence. Soon, however, he decided that in this spare time he now had he would take a trip to the entrance of his Temple. The road was getting dangerous, but he could manage (nothing a cane can't take care of). He took many a step approaching the stone walls once a monument to his strength.

Upon entering into the cursed halls once dedicated in reverence to him, Oshus lost the will of his legs and fell to his knees. A few tears slowly left the pools of his eyes. The memory of Bellum's gaze stung like an open wound. Nevertheless, the Ocean King rose after a while, and continued on towards the altar of the Phantom Hourglass. The sun's rays, emitting from the doorway, dimly shone upon the Sand of Hours protected in the glass. Crouching to inspect the altar, the elder searched for the inscription which his servants had anciently carved within the circular rock. He soon found it, and though he was hindered with far-sight, he spoke the words which enveloped the Phantom Hourglass's resting stone, in the tongue of the ocean:

"Seconds of Time,  
Wasted in the land...  
Sands of the Hourglass,  
Flowing down in hand...  
Time will pour,  
Time will never return;  
But the events of Time  
Will echo in Phantom form...

"Time is daylight;  
Light the way  
With this, my Hourglass,  
As thy rays.  
Sands will pour,  
Sands will never return;  
But the Life of the Sands  
Will rescue the Phantom form…"

Oshus raised himself upon his coral staff, and exited the temple silently, deep in thought.

As he approached his house, his ponderings in oceanic depths, he stopped; his wonderings were buried from his mind by a sight on the water's surface. Out near the shores of Mercay Island, a boy in the most vibrant green hovered on the border between the wind and the water. And Ciela was with him as he washed upon the sand.

~~~~~~

She wished she could slap her idiot self in the face: "What kind of captain am I, dashing into a Ghost Ship like it's some kind of playground?" She couldn't actually speak, seeing as she was encased in stone, but she was used to talking in her head. "I guess I've taken too much of a liking for Link's brash courage…" She tried smiling, but lo and behold, still stone. She got angry, then tired, then gloomy; Link's face was only a small glow in the back of her head. There was very little to see, very little to feel. She could feel, however slightly, an ever-persistent draining, as if her blood were sand dispersing from a cracked hourglass. She felt cold, lonely, and lost.

Mainly, though, she felt nothing. And that was the scariest feeling she ever had. She remembered only then another cold soul encased in stone, with a small, withered blade piercing through to the back of his head. She understood now just how lonely he felt...

There was an air about the ship – a mist filled a gluttonous poison. Within it was that ocean-entombed man in the form of desert sand, and the dark malice once slumbering within the man that now took physical form; it was a titanic beast, eyes of absolute rapacity festering among its outstretched tentacles. It was a creature of war, Bellum, a being whose existence relied on the life and light of others, for it had none of its own.

This monster was indeed that Demise of the ancient days, reborn again within the very waters that were his previous host's grave.

But then, quickly, Tetra felt something else. It certainly didn't originate from the phantom air around her. It felt happy, warm; a small fire kindling among the unknowns of the night. She remembered that warmth – something she had experienced while in the claws of a monstrous bird. And in both cases, the warmth brought again to her mind Link's face, and the assurance that everything would work out. Perhaps not now, but someday soon, she would be freed from her prison, and together she and Link would find the new land of promise. She tried smiling again, and again discovered her current disability.

Of course, she couldn't reply with a scowl, and that was good enough for Fi.

~~~~~~

The seas of the Ocean King always had an enjoyable savor – a cool freshness with a hint of salt. Nothing could soothe a seaman's soul better than the smell of the open ocean and the sound of its motion. Not that it was helping in this particular case; Jolene had a way with keeping him panicked.

"GET OFF MY BACK, YOU CRAZY WOMAN!"

"LINEBECK! You backstabbing scum! Come back, you COWARD!"

He wasn't fond of the accusation (he was in fact quite offended), but it was a better outcome than having to face her again. He made a quick maneuver, altering his course to Mercay Island in the Southwestern seas. With a panicked look, he turned to see how close she'd gotten. It wasn't good; she was almost in boarding range!

In a desperate attempt at survival, he shut off his engine and prepared his hiding box in the deck below, crouching inside "courageously". After about 4 minutes of mild body cramping, Linebeck noticed that Jolene had not boarded his ship… So he cautiously removed the lid and proceeded to investigate the strange phenomenon. When he came up to the bow, he saw a mysterious fog off the starboard side; Jolene was sailing off in the opposite direction. Linebeck granted himself a light chuckle: "So the fearless pirate is scared off by a little fog?" He looked again at the ominous mist, and said timidly, "And she calls me a coward…"

It was no matter; he'd continue to Mercay anyways. He'd heard of a great stash of cash sitting on that piece of rock, and if anyone was going to claim it, it would be he, the great captain Linebeck!

Noting that the fog was getting closer, Linebeck jumped a little, and hurriedly resumed his course.

~~~~~~

Bellum cried out as it turned to dust, reverted to its primal state by the Phantom Sword, the blade which purifies the shadows. Fi watched in awe as the remains of the once great and terrible Demise were also reduced to particles of sand; not a single part of his hatred remained, only the Life Force that resided within.

And at last, Fi was at peace.

~~~~~~

There was no such thing as a victorious evil, and there is no hope for its cause. Time will flow on, and villainy with all its threatening will crumble into the river that eternally runs beside them. And that is why Courage is such a gift – for when one sees how brief the reign of phantoms truly is, they will also see the eternal nature of the good; it is Courage in its many forms – hope, bravery, chivalry, faith, charity – by which Wisdom is nurtured, and by which true Power is sustained. And they survive forever, nothing wavering.

Ciela said her last goodbye and saw Link disappear into the fog. She had learned much about Courage from him: it means to be where one ought to be despite any threats or dangers. But it also means to escape from where one ought not to be despite any temptation to stay.

And so Link was gone.

Link, Tetra, Fi, and Linebeck had all safely returned to the realm of the Great Sea by the grace of the Ocean King, and straightway they continued on, ever in search of a land to call home, where peace and virtue could be established forevermore.

~~~~~~

Malladus the Demon King was no less patient than his counterpart in the land of Hylia, and no less malicious. Hundreds of years he had bided time, and it would be but a few more before the fools who had invaded his land would learn of his power. The spirits of good were of no concern to him – they were old and withered, but he was strong, unaged despite his imprisonment beneath the Spirit Tracks.

~~~~~~

Link leaned over the gunwale, looking down at the water. It had been a year since they had sailed off, and 6 weeks since they had left the Realm of the Ocean King. He drew out his sister's telescope, taking a wistful look towards home. Pining for some spare glimpse of it, he remained fixed to the lens of the seagull scope for a half-hour.

"Nothing but birds out there, Hero." Tetra was giving him that cocked smile again; she never made fun of him anymore, but she often came close. Regardless, Link always felt more relaxed when she joked around. He sighed before replying. "That's what I'm looking for," he spoke with a sideways look at his captain.

Tetra wasn't much for empathy, but she understood when someone was in need of it – her mother taught her that. "Link, what's bothering you?"

The green hat seemed to droop as its wearer finally lowered the telescope. "What if I made the wrong choice… leaving Aryll and Grandma?"

Tetra nodded, although she didn't know what to say; she hadn't gotten to know Aryll well, and she was uncomfortable enough talking about her own emotions – how could she help with somebody else's?

Link continued, "Like, I know that we promised the King of Red Lions that we'd renew the legacy of Hyrule… but I feel like I'm treating Aryll like she's less important than some ancient rubble by leaving." Link turned to face Tetra. "Couldn't we have stayed just a bit longer?"

Tetra finally put her head to good use and thought of something to say: "Well… do you think we'd have saved the Ocean King if we had stayed?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Link still didn't looked swayed.

"Why did you come on this trip?"

"Well, we came to fulf-"

"No Link, why did you come on this trip?" And then Tetra listened.

At first all she heard were the waves washing across the hull and the wind brushing across their clothes. Link's voice broke the wind as the mast broke the glassy surface of the sea: "I just want to go home. At first that meant Outset, but the moment I left with that splinter-wood shield," (Tetra giggled, a rare event), "I guess it wasn't really home anymore. Not that I had no home, or 'the sea is my home' or anything like that… Outset will always be like a home for me…" Link sighed, "But I knew that there was someplace else for me, too… And I'm here to look for that place. I'm here to keep a promise, yes; I'm here because the Hero protects the Princess and all of that…" Tetra raised an eyebrow, but decided to save the Zelda business for later. "And yet I suppose I really came here for the same reason I left to save Aryll – I can't stand to see anyone stolen from their home. And that includes me, and that includes you."

Tetra looked down quickly. "Then why are you so worried about Aryll?"

"Because what about when she wants a new home? What about when she starts wishing she were a seagull that could fly across the seas? Who will be there to guide her?"

Tetra didn't know the answer. So she did the next best thing and hugged him. "You sound so mature for how reckless you are."

Link returned the sudden gesture.

Fi smiled a sad smile, and decided it would be a good time to go to Outset Island. The wind blew to the west, towards the setting sun.

~~~~~~

A cough echoed through the house, which was unusual considering its wooden structuring. Fi entered the house quietly and invisibly, listening to her Hero's grandmother as she laid in pain on her chair. Aryll came in the door, a fairy floating beside her. Fi quickly noted that Link really needed to stop using bottles to catch them. Aryll knelt and waved the fairy to Grandma.

A lot of swirling sparkles later, Grandma stopped her coughing, and looked less sickly. However, she was still very weak, tired in a more passive way. Some soft gratuities were passed through her elderly lips, and Aryll's name came out, isolated and hollow-sounding among Grandma's whispered thanks; it also sounded warm, rather like a candle resting on a marble floor. Then another word pierced the air: Link. Swirling around it were phrases like "where is", "painful", "sorrow", "why isn't", and "I miss". Aryll spied through the window, but she didn't even have her telescope anymore to search for a boat among the waves.

She turned back and saw that her Grandma was nearly dead. An ocean welled up through Aryll's eyes, soon overflowing as two silent brooks along her cheeks. There were words filled with sadness, thoughts of despair, and actions of utmost love. Aryll took a pot and filled it with the last of Granny's soup; it had two servings, but she gave both to the only mother she had. Grandma thanked her with a nod and drank. Fi took Aryll into the tightest embrace she could muster, causing the girl to shed her tears. Grandma finished drinking, softly placing the pot at Aryll's knees.

Fi watched as Grandma's spirit separated from her body, prepared to journey again to her Mother Farore.

Aryll watched as Grandma died.

The townsfolk were at the door as Aryll ran out, crossing the bridge to the tower she used to call Aryll's Lookout. The seagulls still came to the tower, but she rarely looked at them anymore. Now, however, she climbed the ladder. She sat down at the top, tears continuing to fall, and looked at the beautiful birds she had so admired.

She was only two years old when her parents were taken. A band of pirates, the Gerudo, had been heard to raid many islands across the Great Sea, but nobody expected them to turn up so far south of the Fortress that was their hideout. Orca was the only one on the island equipped to face the threat, but the Gerudo were swift and cunning; they left as quickly as they came, taking Aryll's parents with them. She was too young to remember why they did it, too young to understand that she couldn't bring them back. Still, she always wished she could become a seagull; she wanted to be free to scour the Great Sea on an epic search for her parents. Link, of course, would be the Hero, ready to fight to save them from the thieving pirates.

Now, her Grandma was gone, and Link was gone…

Fi spoke to Aryll: "The seagulls have not left you. And you are not alone in this Sea. Look out, and see the people in this village who love you. See the friends that Link has made; they can be yours, as well. Go out to them, for you are not alone. Then will you have that freedom you long for; your family is never lost from you."

But Fi wished she could cry.

~~~~~~

The Phantom Hourglass glinted in the moonlight. It had been put it in the center of the circle of pirates while Link described his most recent adventure. It seemed to hold the moon's rays in place of sand.

Tetra raised herself and proceeded to her quarters; she was already quite familiar with most of the story. No one bothered her as she broke the circle, either, which she silently appreciated. As she entered her room, she turned her gaze to her bed, ready to lay down for the night. She absently noted a new decoration at her bedside: the Wind Waker memorialized beneath the Ancient Hero painting…

She was too tired to go out and scold Niko for going in her room without consent, so she instead lifted her covers and laid down.

Tetra got a good ten seconds of rest before Linebeck's bellowing snapped her right out onto the gunwale, along with the rest of the crew. He and his ship were usually up near the horizon on lookout, so the seagull flying past the mast was only a small confirmation of Linebeck's announcement: "LAND HO!"

~~~~~~

Link stood in front of the newly recruited guard. He pulled the Hero's Sword from its sheath, and walked towards them, quite nimbly despite his old age.

"I know that a good many of you have never wielded a sword or spear. Now my son is a fine swordsman, and he will teach you well… but first," Link gestured for a large man in the center to come forward, "I'd like to demonstrate a battle for you."

The young man approached with a small gait that made him look a little off-center. He raised his trainee sword to cross with Link's. The Hero of Winds spoke, "Your blade must be seen as part of you," at which point he disconnected the two swords and prepared to engage. The other man had a small quivering at his knees. "You must understand, then, that a sword will help you only so much as you help it." Link swiped towards his opponent, who put up his weapon to the vertical to block. "You must respect the strength the blade holds." Link swung upward before drawing back, simultaneously deflecting his enemy's attack and cutting his trainee tunic. "You cannot, however, expect the blade to be a replacement to your strength," Link evaded a thrust and put the Hero's Sword to the trainee's neck, who then dropped his own weapon. "Forasmuch as you wield the sword, you are responsible for the potential it has."

Link lowered his edge to the ground, permitting the trainee to step back towards the group. "Now, as I said, I'm not here to teach technique – that is the art of applying this lesson, and my son is a fine instructor; no, I'm here to ask a question." He eyed the to-be soldiers. "What strength does a sword wield; what determines the power of a stroke?"

Some answered that it was the force exerted through the hilt, others how steady your hand and feet are, and still another said that it was the precision of the strokes. It was the trainee who had fought Link who answered correctly among them all.

"Your courage," said he.

Link looked up (for he had been pondering the grass while they were discussing), and asked for the answerer's name.

"Alfonzo, sir. Grandson of Gonzo."

Link smiled. "What all of you have said is true in their own ways – having a firm stance is good technique, for example. But in the end, none of that would matter to a man who has no courage." Then, he knelt down and returned Alfonzo's sword to him.

"Remember, a sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage."

Queen Tetra came out into the courtyard and up to Link's hand, which she took hold into her own. "Link, you promised me for a walk to the train station, remember? I haven't seen Anjean in nearly a month!"

Link nodded, bidding the new guards farewell as his son came out for the formal sparring session.

~~~~~~

The Hero of Spirits twirled the Lokomo Sword in his hand, dashing towards the crystal gem on Malladus's skull. Zelda came up from behind him, swiftly took hold of the blade, and thrust it through to the heart of the jewel. The Demon King cried out in devastation, his dreams of power and desolation brought to a crushing end.

For indeed, they always would be, and Fi knew it.

And still while the phantoms of darkness continued to fade away to the light of Her Grace and Her Chosen Hero, so too did the Spirits of Good have to bid farewell to the land they had once held charge over. They would leave their own phantoms, in a sense, shadows of their history; these were Link and Zelda, the last remnants of the land of the Gods. They had a different fate from the faces of evil they had vanquished. What it was exactly was still an uncertainty to Fi, but she didn't care to know. She had waited millennia to see her Hero return… but now all she wished was to finally rest in peace.

And so she did, as did all the land of Hyrule, for as long as time has recorded.


	6. JUST AN UPDATE I'M SORRY

I haven't posted updates to this story in a long time. I am continuing it, beginning with the events of Majora's Mask, then Twilight Princess. After that, well, I'll insert a chapter concerning my theory on the Zelda universe's timeline and causes of timeline splits. This is because I, like many, find the Downfall timeline to be totally stupid, to put it lightly. I have created my own timeline, and I'll need a chapter after the TP one to explain where it comes from. Essentially, take Nintendo's timeline, pull out the three games in the Four Swords Saga, and put them on the other side of a new timeline split at Skyward Sword. After the FS Saga, place all of the games currently in the Downfall timeline, in the order Nintendo positioned them.

So, to quickly explain the order of chapters coming up:  
Chapter 6: True Faces (*Post-OoT, Majora's Mask)

Chapter 7: Twilit Dawn (Twilight Princess)

Chapter 8: Zelda, Time, and Timelines

Chapter 9: The Light Force (*Post-SS, Minish Cap, Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures)

Chapter 10: Demise (A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages/Seasons)

Chapter 11: Hope's Awakening (Link's Awakening, A Link Between Worlds) {Triforce Heroes doesn't have a significant place in this story D:}

Chapter 12: The Legend of Zelda (Legend of Zelda, Adventure of Link)

Epilogue (Skyward Sword)


End file.
